Letter To NEST+M Students And Families From Mark Berkowitz, Week Of January 15, 2018 (repost)

I am hoping that this Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and weekend have provided you and your family with the reflective space to consider the ways in which our individual actions and interdependence can foster a community of strength and love.

Upper Grades Students: This is the final week of Semester 1. Please ensure you are aware of end-of-semester assessments (exams or projects) and reach out to teachers when support is needed.

Celebrating Chess @ NEST+m
Despite frigid temps, 53 NEST+m students ventured out to play in the Greater New York Scholastic Chess Championships last weekend, a heated competition among the finest NYC schools. As always, our players fought hard and persevered through the ups and downs of the weekend.

The NEST+m chess tradition continues on as we celebrate successes from both the team and individual players! Thank you to the players, parents and coaches for all your support.

Manhattan Spelling Bee Champions!
NEST+m 5th graders Mark Tsybulski and Evan Schleck finished in the top 10 of the 2018 Manhattan Spelling Bee, held on January 9th. This great showing qualifies them to compete in the NY Daily News Spelling Bee in March. The top two finishers of this citywide tournament move on to the Scripps National Bee in Washington, DC to compete for the national championship!

Our Week Ahead

Monday, January 15th

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day: schools closed

Tuesday, January 16th

School Leadership Team (SLT) meeting, 4:00pm, Library

Wednesday January 17th

Upper Grades Winter Concert, 6pm, Auditorium

Thursday January 18th

Jazz at Lincoln Center / Jazz for Young People concerts for grades 5 & 6 (during the school day)

Friday January 19th

Middle Grades (SONYC) Musical, “High School Musical,” 7:00pm

Saturday January 20th

Middle Grades (SONYC) Musical, “High School Musical,” 6:00pm

Looking ahead

Week of January 22: During January 2018 Regents Week is 1/22 to 1/26, No Upper Grades Students will be in attendance except for students taking Regents exams.

January 29: Chancellor’s Conference Day in High Schools. HS Students do not attend

January 30th: Spring Term begins for HS students.

Opportunities for NEST+m students

August Writers’ Workshop
The School of The New York Times is excited to announce our new end-of-summer August Writers’ Workshop for rising middle and high school students (grades 7-12) of all writing abilities on August 13–17 in New York City. This week-long program helps students enhance their writing skills under the tutelage of some of the best writers in the world. Students will emerge with strengthened communication skills, confidence in their writing and a profound sense of the power of the written word and visual communication—all right before school starts! The August Writers’ Workshop is the perfect way to kick off the academic year and occurs right after our NYC Summer Academy.

GlamourGals
GlamourGals is a national nonprofit whose mission is to inspire and organize teen volunteers to provide ongoing companionship and complimentary beauty makeovers to women living in senior homes.
We would like to invite students from your school to attend a Valentine’s Day service event at Goddard Riverside NORC (689 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10025) on 2/14 from 4:30 – 6:00 pm.

College Scholarship for High School Seniors
Citrin Cooperman is a Top 25 nationally recognized full-service Accounting firm with locations throughout the Northeast and over 900 employees.

For the past 10+ years, we have been offering college scholarships to High School Seniors interested in pursuing a degree in Business. Each year, we select students to receive a yearly scholarship of $1,000 for each of their 4 years of college.

Ladders for Leaders
The New York City Department of Youth & Community Development offers the Ladders for Leaders (L4L) Program for local high school and college students between the ages of 16 to 22. The program hopes to include about 1,700 participants at 500 worksites citywide, matching adolescents with professional opportunities within corporations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Some examples of businesses that have participated in Ladders providing internship opportunities include AOL, Pandora, Tishman Speyer, KPMG, Kate Spade and various city agencies included NYC Department of Design and Construction, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Our goal as an L4L provider is to help place individuals in work environments that suit their abilities and interest, while also providing them with work readiness training. The participants participate in the program throughout the summer. Participants work anywhere from 25-40 hours per week. Additionally, all participants will take part in 20-30 hours of pre-employment workshops. These workshops teach basic work readiness skills, including, but not limited to, resume writing, job interview skills, and dealing with conflict in a work environment.

Participant applications for Ladders for Leaders are now available for those who are interested. Applications can be found at https://application.nycsyep.com/ – make sure you choose Central Queens YM & YWHA – Queens as their provider, or use our PIN# 230795.BMCC STEP Program
The Borough of Manhattan Community College’s (BMCC) Science & Technology Entry Program (STEP) is now accepting applications for the Spring 2018 session.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: JANUARY 22, 2018. Click here to visit the BMCC STEP Application or the BMCC STEP Website.

3T Writing Workshops
Naked Angels Theater Company’s fantastic, fun and free writing program for all public high school students starts on Feb 5th, 4-6pm! Write a play, story or screenplay and hear it read by professional actors–and it all happens in just three consecutive Thursdays! And it also all happens at The New School for Drama, 151 Bank St, our partner in theater.

For over 7 years, our students have been using essays, scripts, films and stories they have developed in 3T for college essays, writing samples and submissions to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and Young Playwrights as well as making their own films. Most of all, our students tell us 3T is a place where they can be as creative as they want to be in an encouraging and fun environment of writers and actors of all ages. Application deadline Feb 1st, 2018. More info and an app can be found at our website 3T Workshops or email 3T@nakedangels.com for more information.

Urban Leadership Fellows
ULF exposes exceptional graduating high school seniors to the municipal securities industry through highly supported paid summer internships. Each student is paired with a mentor the duration of the internship.

Student Recruitment: High School seniors with at least a 3.0 GPA interested in pursuing finance, law and/or government in college. Big push for NYCHA residents.

Duration & Hours: 40 hours/week for 6 weeks in July and August 2018

Program Requirements: Interns work 40 hours per week and attend events organized by Futures and Options, including orientations, an opening breakfast, municipal bond school, Excel workshops, public speaking, writing, and presentation trainings, a trip to DC hosted by the MSRB, and a closing luncheon

Deadline: Priority deadline: February 2nd, 2018 or Final deadline: March 9th, 2018

Scholarship: $500 book grant for all participants, ULF alumni entering their sophomore, junior, and senior year who earn a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher receive $1,250 every year. ULF alumni who maintain a cumulative GPA between 3.25 and 3.49 and received $1,000 college scholarships

Previously announced opportunities for NEST+m students

Rutgers School of Engineering
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is excited to announce an opportunity for students interested in engineering. The Rutgers School of Engineering is offering the chance for students to participate in a new Pre-Engineering Summer Academy to develop their knowledge and skills through real-world field experiences.

This intensive one-week certificate program will introduce students to a variety of engineering areas including: Aerospace, Biomedical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Forensic, Mechanical.

Eligible students must be between the ages of 16-18, must have completed courses in precalculus and physics, and must submit an online application.

Interested in medicine or engineering?
We’re very excited to announce an upcoming Perry Outreach Program on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, NY. The Perry Outreach Program is a free, one-day, hands-on experience for high school women who are interested in pursuing careers in medicine and engineering. Students will hear from women leaders in these fields and try it for themselves by performing mock orthopaedic surgeries and biomechanics experiments.

We are now seeking applicants for our New York, NY program. Participants should be women in grades 10 and up with an expressed interest in science, medicine and/or engineering.

Engineering Exploration Experience
This spring, Columbia University’s Society of Women Engineers (SWE) will be hosting its annual Engineering Exploration Experience. The event will expose female high school students to the exciting career opportunities available in all branches of engineering. The event provides students with the opportunity to participate in workshops led by professors and an engineering design challenge mentored by Columbia students. There will also be a panel session where students can meet and speak with professional women in various engineering industries.

Registration will open within the next few weeks and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis!

Lunch, t-shirts, and materials for the engineering design challenge will be provided. If the participation fee poses a financial concern, students will be able to request a fee-waiver within the registration form.

CURIE Academy
Curie Academy is a one-week summer residential program for high school girls who excel in math and science, enjoy solving problems, and want to learn more about careers in engineering

Rising seniors (class of 2019) who are women and African/Black American, Latino, Native American/Alaska Native, or Pacific Islander and/or first generation college students meeting the requirements below will automatically be considered for a full tuition waiver for the 2018 CATALYST Academy.

Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program
Our FREE 7-week summer program teaches 10th–11th grade girls the computer science skills they need to make an impact in their community and be competitive in the job market of the future. No past experience with coding is required to apply and take part in the Summer Immersion Program. Summer stipends are also available to cover transportation and living expenses for those who qualify.

The skills taught at The School of The New York Times are core to being a participant in a global community of thinkers. While we know not all of our students want to become journalists someday, the writing, critical thinking, visual storytelling and persuasive communication skills taught during Summer Academy can help guide students’ academic and professional paths.

This year, we are pleased to announce the return of our most beloved courses from past summers and introduce an exciting lineup of new offerings. As always, we’ll turn New York City into our classroom and invite students to immerse themselves in the iconic neighborhoods, people and culture of this great city.

Ascend Educational Fund Scholarships
The Ascend Educational Fund scholarship offers between $2500 – $20,000 to immigrant students or children of immigrants. New York City Seniors who will attend public or private colleges or universities. It is irregardless of ethnicity, national origin or immigration status. The requirements are to complete the application, send copy of SAT/ACT, 2 letters of recommendations and write 2 essays. The application period began Nov 1 and closes February 2, 2018. The winners must maintain a 2.5 GPA at college.and participate in mentoring from Ascent Educational Fund.